Vincent Hale
__FORCETOC__ Background A lot is claimed to be known about Vincent Hale, the soft-spoken (when outside of the ring) 26 year old from Topeka in Kansas, but the majority of it is merely hearsay. Vincent was born in Saint Louis, Missouri on the 9th of August, 1987 to a preacher father and a house-wife mom. Whilst many have assumed that he had an easy time growing up, which Vincent stated wasn't the case. In fact, he admitted that it was more like the opposite; he had a more difficult upbringing than people might think, considering the stress his father put him under. That is compounded by the fact that he was an only child, which he remarked did have its benefits but it also had its pitfalls, whether or not people are willing to accept that. Another misconception is that he was one of the more popular kids in school, considering that he was a stand out Quarterback, when in actuality:: he was quite reserved and shy; receiving a lot of issues with bullying, despite the external "popularity" he did receive from the other children. Admitting that there were times when he nearly broke down, he stated that it was those lessons he learned from HS that brought about the mental toughness that he has been renowned for within the wrestling ring, as well as the ability to "play the political game" backstage in order to better his position. On top of that, it was remarked that he was gifted an opportunity to wrestle by the directors at "Heartland Wrestling" due to solely his muscular look, despite having never wrestled before (in actuality, Vincent had wrestled in HS for two years, amassing a 29-12 record alongside his football prowess). Although he would lose his trial match to Jeremy Cardell, Vince managed to impress enough to be offered a 15 match deal with HW, which he accepted. He knew that this was his chance to break through the glass ceiling; get his name noticed. Despite that, many people claimed he was arrogant, which Vince later stated was because his confidence and belief in his own natural gifts was mis-constructed in the brief statements that he had put out to the audience when he debuted; stated that if he had his time again, he might have gone about it a little bit differently. Nonetheless, he was brought into the federation during their "Missouri Massacre" pay per view, where he was escorted to the ring by valet and (then) real life girl-friend "Summer" before defeating Jack Nile by pinfall. After the match, Hale would look down at Nile and simply smirk before walking away, as he knew the deed has been done. The following night, he would work a match against Jaylen Frost, where he would famously hit what would be known as the Halestorm (Cradle Spinning Sideslam) before getting his second consecutive victory, only to pick Frost up and hit him with the "Breaking Hale" (kneeling belly to belly piledriver); thus cementing him as a heel. It was a move that Hale later confessed was all his idea, that he felt like he needed to do something big in order to garner the attention of not only the fans:: also of those backstage who had claimed that he would just remain one of those "middle of the road no bodies" that come and go in the business. It worked; Hale not only received a push in the weeks afterward, he also received a two-year extension to his contract, only four matches into the original fifteen. Six weeks after he signed on, it was announced that he would be acquiring a title shot for the HW "Missouri Valley" belt, against Thomas Grey, the man he had made submit with a cross armbar two weeks earlier. Although he would lose the match due to an incidental distraction from Summer, he would still have the last laugh when he hit a Jack-knife powerbomb on Grey post-match. In December of 2006, after the "break up" between he and Summer had been hinted for a while, Vince would finally turn face, breaking up with Summer and working on his own for the first time in his career. It was rumored that this was Vince's decision, based off their real-life break up a month before they broke up on TV, but Hale denied that; stated that it was Summer's plan and was solely based off the idea that she wanted to give Vince the chance to have his own spotlight (later confirmed by Summer, as the two had remained very good friends despite no longer dating). The face turn was easily the beginning of Hale's best run in HW, as he won their world title twice and the "Missouri Valley" title four times in the span of seven months after his turn; even getting an offer from the GWL to sign with them:: although he would accept, he managed to add in a clause that allowed him to remain in HW whilst also competing with GWL. His opening three matches of the agreement with GWL were all victories; he would add a submission move to his arsenal known as the "Last Dawn" (Standing Inverted Texas Cloverleaf) to beat Jackson Mile, before beating La Grouncha with his "Halestorm", then Andrew George with his "Breaking Hale" maneuver. Although he was having success with the GWL, his HW career was starting to stagnate a little bit, as he went on a twelve match run where he ended with a 4-8 record, followed by a 6-14 record in a 20 match span. Despite that, Hale made the remark that he was having "the most fun in his career," with the HW federation and that he was managing the balance between GWL and HW well enough so that it wasn't added any stress. He would continue doing that for the next five months, before an awkward fall during a hurdling exhibition he participated in on the 16th of March, 2008 whilst back in Kansas (where he had moved two years before). Scans revealed that he had torn his MCL and would be out for three months, later disclosed by Vince as being "karma for the decision to hurdle when I had worked merely twelve hours before". He also admitted that he had copped a little "heat" from HW and GWL backstage over it, but they had cordially talked it over and made up, without there being much punishment (aside from having to pay a $3,000 dollar fine and medical expenses). Upon returning to the ring, he was packaged as being a "Man Mountain"; a bodybuilding fanatic who used a rare breed of raw power to dominate foes:: it was a role that suited him, as it allowed him to not only use his natural strength but also his athletic ability that many people had neglected. It allowed him to march to three title reigns in the space of six months (2x in HW, 1x in GWL), before he managed to send the career of Harrison Snipes in what was described as one of the best matches in GWL history up to 2008. Vince agreed with that assessment, stating that Snipes was the perfect opponent; someone that he loved being able to work against. Ultimately, he would amass a 63-10 record in 73 matches for the 2008 year, thus gaining the #2 spot in the PWI500:: although many people said he should have been number one. It later came out that Hale was the winner of "PWI wrestler of the year" and "Breakout star", which solidified the case that he was the best wrestler in the world even if he hadn't received the #1 ranking. The following year (2009), Hale amassed a 72-19-2 record through 93 matches, this time enough to finish #3 in the PWI500, dropping one spot. Hale did confess that he never paid attention to the rankings, as he just wanted to be able to go out there and wrestle each and every event that he was psychically able to compete in, something that was evident in the aggressive hint he showed in the ring. 2010 was another solid year for Hale, who would win three world titles and six mid-card titles; amassing a 57-46-4 record, which was his lowest percentage and winning wise since 2006 but he would compete in the match of the year (his loss against Mike Shields at HW:: OKC Carnival). Although he finished #3 again in the top 500, he stated that it was the one ranking he didn't deserve and that he would've ranked himself somewhere between #40-#75. In an interview with Dennis Shaw on January the 7th, 2013 he reflected back on 2010 and admitted that the death of his childhood friend Chris Lowe in July contributed to lesser performances in the middle portion of the year, but that he had refused to take time off, knowing that Chris would be looking down at him, wanting him to continue his life. 2011 brought a 87-32-1 record and a #1 top 500 ranking, his first ever and an accolade he deserved (He had held the GWL belt for 203 days and the HWL world title for 295 days simultaneously throughout the year), on top of his second Wrestler of the year and second consecutive match of the year (This time against George Grady at GWL Burnout). Vincent would state that it was a blend of knowing how to put together momentum and somewhat "being political" backstage led him to that successful year, but denied that he had demanded a lengthy title reign:: he did confess that his statements were easy to interpret incorrectly due to their double-edged nature at times. 2012 saw the innovation of the "Drawbridge" Move (Catapult Brainbuster) which he used in April to defeat Lucas Neville, on his was to a 82-20-0 record, before leaving both HW and GWL in January of this year, stating that he needed time off to recover from niggling injuries that had been bothering him over the past eighteen months. As such, he is officially a free-agent; available to sign for wherever he so chooses. Current text Match History # # Title History None Entrance "Sabotage" Begins to hit over the public announce system, as Vincent comes walking out to the ring, attired in a black suit with a white undershirt and black polished loafers (Promos) or Yellow and black tights, with white wrist tape on both arms as well as black wrestling boots (matches). He smiles at the camera, before slowly strolling up the ramp, occasionally stopping to cock his head and somewhat acknowledge the crowd reaction that he is receiving. He then laughs, before continuing his walk; reaching the apron, before he jumps onto it, entering the ring over the top rope. After doing that, Hale briefly acknowledges the crowd again, this time by striking a pose, before heading to his corner (match) or walking to the ringside attendant and grabbing a microphone (promos) as he gets ready for the match (matches)/to speak (promos). Note:: When champion, it is the same as above, but he positions the title on his shoulder, handing it to the ref upon entering the ring, having held it up during the time he stops to acknowledge the fans. Wrestling Style He can work any style; in fact, he is known for modifying his own style to counter-act his opponents whilst in the ring. Usually a technician, he has learned the art of anticipation and on top of the moves that he utilizes to his advantage, he has a counter for nearly every wrestling move that's in the book. He's a "student of the game" when it comes to wrestling:: a fact that has helped him acquire the success he has; something he looks to build on with each passing day. Weapons Very rarely looks to use weapons (he never does as a face; it's only sparingly as a heel he does) but he'll often make do with a chair if it's required. Otherwise, his favorite 'weapons' are the turnbuckles and ringside apron as well as the ropes, which he can use to great effect throughout the duration of matches. Rope Breaks As A face, he'll traditionally let go as soon as his opponent grasps the ropes, although he will occasionally keep the move locked in until a count of two by the referee (or in matches with no rope breaks). As a heel, he'll use the entire 'five' count available to him, before releasing when the ref reaches a count of four. Taunts - Flexes muscles. - Smirks at the audience. - Taps his heart three times. - Laughs as he looks at his prone opponent (Heel only). - Extends his arms out, before looking up and letting out a soft breath. - Taps his forearm three times (Set up to the "Lights Of Kansas") - Raises a fist into the air (Sometimes before jumping off the top rope with a punch). Trivia * Category:Workers